Wicked Messenger by Edward Drobinski - HTML preview
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Chapter 3
ELI, 5-12-98476. 5-12-2058 EARTH CALENDAR
Initially, both the “Sunny” and “Darkie” governments would neither confirm nor deny the TV report. They were able to establish a good case for the announcer’s incompetence, however.
Soon this gave rise to the popularity of “Prophets of Doom,”
some claiming religious status and a requirement for the people to repent. They claimed that Eli would end anywhere from tomorrow to ten years.
Many people took that as cause to do whatever they wanted.
They set their controllers to “wild,” not knowing that they were permanently on “neutral.” However, thinking that they were wild produced a mental effect validating that. They let loose with years of repressed emotions all at once, and engaged in behaviors ranging from assaults (usually a neighbor,) to public sex acts (usually a stranger) and not paying their debts (usually a tightass.) A financial “crisis” ensued, which actually corresponded to two days of non-payment of consumer debts, including mortgages. The “Sunny” government gave trillions to banks and put out public service announcements anywhere they could, exhorting people to behave responsibly.
When the disorder did not abate, the authorities tried admitting their “solar” findings; government employed scientists
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stating that there was “at least ten years” before doom.
“Experts” on the subject, ranging from religious fanatics to science technicians bogged down in detail, cashed in on the lucrative TV and radio markets, offering differing opinions.
Some said that the whole thing was fallacious and not founded in any science and some stressed the “world without end” pious slogan. At the other extreme they affirmed the government’s announced conclusion, but said that the final demise could be hundreds of years in the future.
The people gave as much credence to the “experts” as they customarily did and continued their mayhem, fornication and debt paying avoidance. The “Sunny” government felt it necessary to restore hope in the future and voiced the suitability of Earth and the plans underway. They publicly announced the “reality” of Foucalt’s mission and how, if successful, ALL Eli’s would find a new and better life on Earth. The “Darkie” government waited to see what was in it for them, before saying anything.
The aged “Darkies” who still believed what the “Sunny”
government said or who were searching for hope calmed down and some even looked forward to a “better way of life” out of the dark despair. Many “Sunnies” also put their faith in the mission, playing some sort of psychological game with themselves, pretending the “feeling” for which they were incapable did not mask that they merely wanted to stay alive.
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The youthful and middle-aged majority of both factions believed what they wanted to, opted for the present, and continued to assault their annoying neighbors, perform public lewd acts and practice debt non-payment. They felt so exhilarated they wondered why they didn’t do this all along. The overwhelmed Peace Corps concentrated on “property crimes.”
ESPERANZA, ARIZONA, 5-13-2058.
Harry woke to a cool, breezy, pre-dawn morning, his open northern window taking the blaring brunt of the wind. He felt as clear headed as an amnesiac; dressed and elected to walk in the desert, hoping to find something that he may have dropped.
Coffee was sitting in the kitchen and he poured himself a cup.
As he sipped he looked out the window and saw an old man sitting on a simple weathered bench on the porch. It was now devoid of any evidence of having ever been stained, the back rail carved in “M” and “S” designs.
He thought that the man on the porch holding his own cup, dressed in loose blue jeans and a red and black checked flannel shirt was about seventy. The man was moving his neck around like a restless blind man, his thinning white hair an iconoclastic captive of the wind.
Harry went out the screen door and sat next to him.
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The old man said; “Good morning,” but continued to stare into the desert.
“Good morning. A windy one though.”
“Days often start out this way, but soon calm down. Gotta love it.”
Harry silently grinned briefly.
The old man said; “Nice thing about the place is that if you don’t like the weather, just wait an hour and it will change.”
“I’m new here. Just got in last night.”
“Dress in layers. Sometimes the changes can be dramatic.
One time I was about five miles from here.” He pointed at the desert. “Hot, sunny day. All of a sudden storm clouds rolled in and it poured. I mean really came down in buckets. The ground couldn’t absorb all that water quickly, so the next thing I knew I was in the middle of a rushing, two foot and rising river.
Lucky for me I was near a mesquite tree, the only one I know out there. I climbed it. The water must have reached five feet. Then in ten minutes the rain stopped, the water disappeared and it was just as sunny as before. God **** tree saved my life.”
“You’ve got to be Becky’s Grandpa.”
“She been talkin’ about me?”
“Only good stuff. I’m Harry Simpson.” He extended his right hand.
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The old man leaned to the left to shake it and said; “I’m Lewis Dodgson, but everybody around here calls me Grandpa. That girl’s got quite an imagination.”
“I can see where she gets it from.”
“What did she say about me?”
“She told me you tell great stories.”
“True ones, mind you. Where are you from?”
“Glastonbury, Massachusetts.”
“Never been there. What’s it like?”
“I wish I could tell you.”
The sun peeked out from behind the distant hills and the gale became a breeze.
Grandpa gave Harry a curious look, compelling Harry to add;
“Haven’t been there very long. I travel a lot. Must be nice to settle in one place like you.”
“To each their own. The older I get the more I like it.
But, when I was young I got around some. One time I was staying in San Francisco. Don’t ask me why. I took a room in the Italian section, you know, where the “Beatniks” started out; Ferlinghetti, Corso, Kerouac, all those boys. Anyway I went to
“City Lights,” the book store I think they own, or used to and the damndest thing happened. Some young girl with gigantic glasses was giving a poetry reading. She’s standing at this podium and about thirty listeners are sitting on the floor, most
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of them chatting. She’s saying stuff like; “Petals of the wilted rose succumb to the northern war gods,” or something like that.
She must have felt that she was not reaching her audience and was compelled to take off her clothes. ALL OF THEM. She calmly stood there and continued to read with her little pile of clothing at her feet. You know what happened next? First, two members of the audience got up and left. I think they were a couple. Then, little by little, all the rest did the same thing.
So the people she was minimally reaching in a proper fashion disappeared when she tried to get their attention in a provocative manner. Poor girl must have felt awful. I was feeling sorry for her so I went in and sat down. I’ll tell you that I sat through every poem that girl ever wrote. I don’t know what in hell she was talking about, but I’ll tell you I know that her rose petals were in fine shape.”
Harry chuckled and Grandpa sat there stone-faced, seemingly staring at something way off in the desert.
Becky almost knocked the old wooden screen door off its hinges and still in her pajamas ran over to them. She exhaled deeply and said; “I’m glad you’re here. That rocket you gave me is talking. I didn’t do anything to it. I just put it with my animals. I thought I might be hearing something all night, but I couldn’t make it out and thought it was the wind. But, this morning I shut the window ............”
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Grandpa interrupted, saying; “Slow down there little girl.”
He looked at Harry and said; “And she says that I tell stories.”
He turned back to her and said; “What kind of rocket are you talking about? I didn’t give you any rocket.”
Harry said; “I did. I had this small plastic toy in my pocket .....................”
Becky couldn’t contain herself any longer and cut off Harry, saying; “And the thing keeps saying stuff like; ‘Joshua, are you there? Come in Joshua. Joshua, are you all right. Tell us where you are. What’s wrong?’ Isn’t Joshua some kind of religious freak?”
Harry got a clear mental image of “The Law,” but didn’t know who it was. “Joshua” registered something unclear to him, but he thought it possibly significant.
Grandpa said; “Sounds like the time you said you had the Wicked Witch of the West trapped in your closet.”
Becky pleaded; “Come on. Take a look for yourself. It’s scaring me. It sounds so ominous.” She went back to the door, opened it and implored; “Come on. Come on.”
Becky impatiently led the group upstairs, taking two steps at a time. She went to the cabinet that housed her turtles, frogs, finches and all their friends. She opened the framed glass door and everyone heard; “Foucalt, come in and report on
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your progress. ............ Foucalt, where are you? ‘The Law’
needs to know.”
Becky felt vindicated and safe in the presence of the two men. She said; “See.”
Grandpa said; “There has to be a radio in there somewhere.”
Harry thought; “Joshua Foucalt and ‘The Law.’”
Becky removed the rocket and put it on a night table. It became obvious that the sound emanated from the three inch long, red rocket. “The Law” said; “This is becoming tedious. Report Foucalt!”
Grandpa said; “Hey, we don’t use that kind of language around here,” thinking that Foucalt was as close to **** it as he would endure in the presence of a child.
“The Law” was perplexed, but glad to finally hear something. He said; “Foucalt, are you joking with me?”
Grandpa said; “Use that word again and I’ll shut you off.”
“The Law” paused and did a quick evaluation. He decided that more information was necessary. He said; “Are you on Earth?”
Becky giggled and answered; “Of course. What planet are you from?”
“The Law” said; “Joshua, this is no joking matter. Have you gone crazy?”
Harry said; “Who is Joshua?”
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“The Law” thought that he recognized the voice and said;
“Did something happen to you during the trip? Are you alone?”
Harry felt like being silly and answered; “Of course not.
I’m with a little girl and her grandpa.”
“The Law” furiously said; “Where are you and what are you doing?”
Harry thought the voice was being too pushy and also didn’t want to pinpoint the location for a possible lunatic. He said;
“I’m in Waco (pronounced Way-ko), Texas with my friends and you are annoying us.”
“The Law” was angered and said; “Call me when you decide to behave responsibly,” and shut off the phone device. He typed Waco, Texas into his database program.
Becky put her face next to the rocket and agitatedly said;
“What’s your number?” She picked it up, shook it and heard a rattle. A door flew open.
Grandpa said to Harry; “Tremendous detailing on something this small. Where did you say you got this thing?”
Harry said; “It was in my pocket. I don’t know where it came from,” but he was beginning to get some blurred thoughts.
Grandpa said; “Must be some kind of a transmitter in there.
I hope it’s not a government bug to spy on us.”
Becky answered; “If it were it’s a pretty stupid idea to have it announce its presence. Can I keep it?”
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Grandpa scratched his head, shrugged and said; “I guess so.”
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